U.S. Secretary Of State John Kerry Testifies Before A House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing On 'The ISIS Threat: Weighing The Obama Administration's Response'
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testifies before a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on "The ISIS Threat: Weighing the Obama Administration's Response" on Capitol Hill in Washington September 18, 2014. n Reuters/Gary Cameron

Secretary of State John Kerry wanted to move past old debates concerning the war in Iraq. He had a simple message to deliver—"ISIL has to be defeated, plain and simple, end of story." The secretary was speaking to the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S congress.

At the hearing, the secretary stated the courtiers in the Middle East may have had their differences on a wide range of issues but are in general agreement when it comes to the threat posed by the terrorist organisation ISIL. The secretary pointed out the Obama administration had been focused on ISIL since 2013. He said the U.S had increased intelligence gathering and reconnaissance to get a better picture of the battle field and help the Iraqi forces in their fight.

The threat of ISIL increased after it took control of huge portions of land at the Iraq-Syria border. The terrorist organisation gained further power after it took control of the Mosul Dam, the largest dam in Iraq that supplies water and electricity to many parts of northern Iraq. The secretary blamed multiple reasons for the rise of the terrorist organisation, which includes the Shia-Sunni Muslim conflict in the region and the kind of army Prime Minister Maliki was training.

According to Secretary John Kerry, U.S. Special Forces conducted an assessment of the Iraqi army to see if it was capable of taking on ISIL. The assessment gave the Obama administration a glimpse of what it can hope to achieve in the region and what additional resources would be required to ultimately win the war against the terrorist organisation.

Secretary Kerry claimed the U.S.'s intervention led to the stopping of the rapid expansion of territory controlled by ISIL. He said the U.S had launched more than 150 airstrikes in the region. He said delay in additional airstrikes was because the Obama administration was pushing for an inclusive Iraqi government it could work with and get an effective strategy in place.

Highlighting the Obama administration's efforts, Secretary Kerry pointed out efforts to fight ISIL were not being taken by the U.S alone. He said Saudi Arabia and the new Iraqi government have chosen to work together against the common enemy.

Secretary Kerry explained the difficulty of fighting ISIL by citing the recent arrests in Australia. The New South Wales Police recently conducted multiple arrests and reportedly stopped a terrorist plot before it was executed.

Secretary John Kerry was in the Middle East recently in order to build a coalition of nations who were willing to fight ISIL. The trip was part of the President Obama's strategy to use regional partners in the war against the terrorist organisation instead of the U.S.'s boots on the ground.

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